philology
noun
phi·lol·o·gy fə-ˈlä-lə-jē 
also fī-
1
: the study of literature and of disciplines relevant to literature or to language as used in literature
2
a
: linguistics
especially : historical and comparative linguistics
b
: the study of human speech especially as the vehicle of literature and as a field of study that sheds light on cultural history
philological
ˌfi-lə-ˈlä-ji-kəl
adjective philologically
ˌfi-lə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē
adverb philologist
fə-ˈlä-lə-jist
noun also fī-
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Both brothers attended Saint Petersburg State University, where their father was a professor of philology, an academic discipline that encompasses the study of language and literature. 
Darren Loucaides, Wired, 8 Feb. 2022 For the advocates of liberal culture a century ago, the false god of literature departments was philology. The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 Philology prevailed in literature departments because philology was scientific. The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 While at Oxford, Hayes plans to study for graduate degrees in mathematical science as well as linguistics, philology and phonetics, according to the university. Ruth Serven Smith | Rserven@al.com, al, 23 Nov. 2021 In his field of philology, the study of the historical development of languages, Haile worked in eight languages, from ancient Hebrew and Arabic to ancient Ethiopian tongues such as Amharic and Ge'ez. Reid Forgrave, Star Tribune, 19 June 2021 Of course, my interest in psychoanalysis quickly grew to include many disparate fields, which have included philology, philosophy, biology, the history of culture, aesthetics, sociology, and in this case, pedagogy. Zane Pickett, Forbes, 13 May 2021 Her discipline of philology, the study of the development of texts over time, requires comparing manuscripts to each other, building a stemma, or genealogy of texts, from a parent or original manuscript. David M. Perry, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2021 Harvard is where Bill met his wife, who later got a PhD in classical philology. Joel Stein, Time, 22 Oct. 2019 See More
Darren Loucaides, Wired, 8 Feb. 2022 For the advocates of liberal culture a century ago, the false god of literature departments was philology. The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 Philology prevailed in literature departments because philology was scientific. The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2021 While at Oxford, Hayes plans to study for graduate degrees in mathematical science as well as linguistics, philology and phonetics, according to the university. Ruth Serven Smith | Rserven@al.com, al, 23 Nov. 2021 In his field of philology, the study of the historical development of languages, Haile worked in eight languages, from ancient Hebrew and Arabic to ancient Ethiopian tongues such as Amharic and Ge'ez. Reid Forgrave, Star Tribune, 19 June 2021 Of course, my interest in psychoanalysis quickly grew to include many disparate fields, which have included philology, philosophy, biology, the history of culture, aesthetics, sociology, and in this case, pedagogy. Zane Pickett, Forbes, 13 May 2021 Her discipline of philology, the study of the development of texts over time, requires comparing manuscripts to each other, building a stemma, or genealogy of texts, from a parent or original manuscript. David M. Perry, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Mar. 2021 Harvard is where Bill met his wife, who later got a PhD in classical philology. Joel Stein, Time, 22 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
French philologie, from Latin philologia love of learning and literature, from Greek, from philologos fond of learning and literature, from phil- + logos word, speech — more at legend
First Known Use
1522, in the meaning defined at sense 1